In the medical field it is important to provide a most complete documentation of any data acquired allowing for diagnosis.
Therefore, a plurality of systems have been proposed in the past allowing a healthcare professional to enter data or to store acquired data in a patient-specific file. In such an approach, a workstation at any appropriate room (e.g. doctor's office, ultrasonic room) within a healthcare center is typically provided where a healthcare provider or its personnel in general may enter/retrieve data relating to a specific patient. This approach may be more precisely described as a healthcare professional-centric system as the focus is directed to the healthcare professional's needs.
The main purpose of data management is to facilitate maximizing asset utilization efficiency and billing to the healthcare systems. In analogy to a production line, the patient information in this system is “raw material,” which can be stored and processed during the process. Cost for storage is marginal compared to asset underutilization cost, since patients' opportunity cost of idle time is not charged to the healthcare provider. This cost is covered partially by the patient and his or her employer, depending on status.
With the advent of platforms allowing for documenting patients' satisfaction either for purpose of their healthcare insurance and/or for public sharing, a growing attention may be perceived to better understand issues to improve in order to increase patients' satisfaction.
A key element in patients' satisfaction and thereby also in the outcome of any treatment involved with a patient's visit to a healthcare provider is that a patient perceives that his or her visit is effective as well. Patients' satisfaction is therefore also linked to the outcome of a treatment, such that an improved satisfaction also increases measurable positive results due to treatment. This increased level of well-being will also lead to reduced healthcare costs.
Therefore, there is a need to improve patient satisfaction.